


Multiworlds chronicles 1: The muddy water incident

by Octoyeti



Category: Freaks squeele, ジョジョの奇妙な冒険 | JoJo no Kimyou na Bouken | JoJo's Bizarre Adventure
Genre: Crossover, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Fantasy Creatures, Hero University, Hero college, Multiple Crossovers, Superheroes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-25
Updated: 2020-10-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 20:00:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26094523
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Octoyeti/pseuds/Octoyeti
Summary: The multiverse is big, and sometimes you find yourself somewhere you shouldn't be. Yet you still need to live on and find a place to belong.Follow the adventures of Raphael, Amarorama, and Fortuna, three young adults from different worlds that left their homeworld, as they enlist in a hero university for grant reasons. But will their education will be enough to resist the strange conspiracy that spans multiples worlds?And who are those mysterious peoples that seem to have the life in the multiverse all figured out?
Kudos: 2





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello.
> 
> This fic is a massive crossover project I've been thinking about for a long time. My friends call it the "Grossover" (From french "Gros" which means big), but for obvious reasons, I didn't keep that name.
> 
> Since the story will contain many setting, and since I want to keep some mysteries about the backgrounds and origins of the characters (and that I haven't figured everything out yet), I propose to play a little game, if you're fine with it:  
> I'll tag the fandom involved either when I make direct reference to it (For example, the 1st chapter contains direct references to JJBA and Freaks Squeele), or if one of you manages to correctly guess from the foreshadowing I'll try to put in the fanfic.  
> Those that correctly guess will receive a prize. I'm not sure yet what, but maybe something like a congratulation at the start of the next chapter. 
> 
> This will be a long project, thank you for paying attention to my work.
> 
> And thanks to my proofreaders Antenix, Judoon, Aankh, Toboshiro, and Avaryss. 
> 
> I do not own the series and that will be mentioned in this fic.

###  **Scene 1: The interview**

It was very warm in the almost empty classroom. The large windows, exposed to the south, showered the room with bright light, but they also brought the scorching heat of summer, and like a greenhouse made it so much more unbearable. 

_This room must be nice in winter_ , thought Raphael, _but why hold my examination here in the middle of June?_

He looked at the three teachers who were going to judge his potential as a student. Right now they were discussing among themselves about something completely unrelated, protected from the heat by the fan that blew air around them. No such accommodations were made for Raphael.

They had been talking for a few minutes, and the heat was really getting to him. He hadn’t even begun the interview and his mouth was already dry. Seeing as the examiner wasn’t paying attention to him, he decided to take action. 

“Excuse me.” He said, before standing up and walking to the windows. Nobody reacted until he opened the first one, a sudden wind of cooler air flooding the room. This caught the attention of the first examiner, an old man wearing spandex of dull color. When he opened the second window, the middle-aged woman, with a suit and sunglasses, finally stopped talking and glared at him. By the third and final one, the portly man in knight armor had joined the other two in their stunned silence. Raphael calmly went back to his chair and stared back at them in silence, awaiting the beginning of the interview.

“Mr. Raphael Eole, is it? Please stand still, we’re about to begin.” Said the woman as she finally opened his file. She was quickly followed by the two others.

“Yes.”

“We have already looked into your application to the 1st year formation of heroism in our academy. Before we go further, there are a few questions we would like you to answer.” The old man looked at a post-it on his own copy of the file. “It is written you are an outsider of category 2, identified on May 11 of this year, in Paris. Is that correct?”

“Yes.”

“Was your day of arrival earlier?”

“Only five days before.”

“Have you filled all the paperwork to regularize your situation?”

“Yes. I have completed the identification procedure, the WHO check, and I have the ‘Permis de Travail & Éducation des Extérieurs’ (1). I am legally allowed to work or to study in any academy in France.”

The old man nodded. “Hmm. So there isn’t any legal trouble. Good, good. Then may I ask you, is the reason you applied to St Ange University is so you can naturalize via the ‘Reservist hero’ program?”

Raphael showed his discomfort at the question for a second but quickly regained his composure. “Partially, yes. While in my old world I was already aiming to work in service close to professional heroism, I can’t lie that being able to become a full citizen and getting the right to vote in this country is something I want.”

The old man scribbled something on his notes, before exchanging a glance with his armored coworker. The ‘knight’ took a sheet from the file. “You said that you already have related experiences in the domain. You claim to have worked for an organization named ‘Speedwagon Foundation’, and have taken part in their educational program?”

“Yes. My parents were doctors for this organization, and so had a discount for all the after-school programs, specialized educations, and summer camps that the foundation supervised. At 16 I first started to work there as an assistant for one of their specialized shops, and at 19 I began to drive ambulances for them.”

A small sneer escaped the woman’s lips, while the two others smiled. “I see.” Said the armored man.

“What, you don’t believe me?”

“We do, we do. I don’t think a liar would make up such a dull backstory.” He said, only to receive a small kick from under the table by the woman. “I mean, those aren’t exactly the kind of jobs that matter in heroism.”

“No offense.” said the old man. “But I’ve never heard of an ambulance driver killing… something like a time controlling murderer. Or a serial killer.”

Raphael held back a groan. _Wasn’t there this dude the foundation fought in Morioh? I think he had some cat-related powers or something. Whatever, I’m not gonna let those old fools make fun of me._ “I’d argue this is still important. This is a job that focuses on saving people's lives, that’s what heroism is all about. Any hero worth his weight would know that.” He realized too late his insinuation.

The three examiners glared at him. The old man frowned, the ‘knight’ let out an upset sight, and the woman showed a cruel smile. He probably wasn’t gonna be accepted.

_I should have kept my mouth shut!_

(1) or PTEE for short. In English, it translates to “Outsider Work and Education Licence” (or OWEL)

###  **Scene 2: proper introduction**

Inside the small flat, its occupants seemed utterly unconcerned by the hot weather. Water was boiling in a saucepan for lack of a kettle, and the steam was turning the whole place into a furnace. Most people would have dropped everything, opened the windows, and cut the fire below the saucepan.

But the two peoples simply remained eyes fixed on their TV and fingers on their controllers, both too focused on the racing game they were playing to move. This was a tight race, and none wanted to give in to any distractions.

“Ama, I think it’s time you go turn off the fire.” Said the first one, who right now had the lead. They were a small person, with dark green hair, bordering on black, blues eyes and reddish skin, like they were constantly flushed. Their face looked rather young, and most people would have assumed they were 16, but their eyes seemed much older and sharper. They weren’t tired but had a sort of intensity and treachery that you rarely saw in a teenager. With their coloration quite rare on a human, and a pair of slightly pointed ears, it wouldn’t be unexpected if they had non-human origins, at least partially. 

They were only wearing a t-shirt and their underwear, and the rest of their clothes were put in a pile that they sat on. 

“What are you saying? Why would I have to do it? Do it yourself, Fortuna” The second one was a tall woman. The first thing you’d notice about her was her long dark red hairs, her bright smile, her rather broad shoulders and wide hips, her athletic belly, her powerful arms, her…

Once you got away from the strange force that seemed to direct your eyes, you could at her more in detail and see some very striking details of her appearance: Hairy legs finishing on hooves, a pair of sturdy horns longer than her hand, and goats eyes that made it hard to see where she was staring. While her companion would look human from afar, it was hard to believe she didn’t raise eyes with her clearly “fauny” appearance. Yet at the same time, it felt people wouldn’t immediately look at her hooves and horns and eyes. 

Unlike the other one, she was fully dressed, and in rather fashionable clothes, if a bit eye-catching. Her blue shirt had a few buttons open, but her cleavage was hidden by a handful of necklaces. Over her shirt, she had a dark red leather coat, itself decorated by a few pins. Finally, she had a rather long skirt, with the same color as that of the shirt. 

“Come on, Ama, you must be suffering from all your clothing. This must be unbearable.”

“I’m doing just fine. If it bothers you so much, why don’t you go there yourself.”

“You’re the one that wanted to make tea. You’re the one that gotta go.”

“And let you win? In your dream. Use your tricks if you want to turn it off.”

“I need to concentrate on those, moron.”

The two kept arguing for a while before they heard the sound of the keys turning. Right after, a gust of much fresher air blew into the flat.

“Fortuna, Amarorama, I’m home!” Groaned Raphael. He was an athletic and well built young man, with quite apparent muscles under his dark skin. In fact, even the business suit he wore had trouble hiding his physic. He had curly black hairs, cut at around half an inch length. “And I don’t recall telling you guys to turn my flat into a sauna.” He stormed the kitchen and furiously cut out the fire. Like a hurricane, he then went around the flat, opening windows (again) and moving things out of the way, cleaning things up. “And you didn’t even clean a bit.”

“Let me guess, the interview didn’t go well?” As she said that, Ama pushed Fortuna’s car out of the way. 

“It didn’t. I screwed up and implied they weren’t good heroes. But to be fair, they didn’t really seem interested from the start.”

“Too bad.”

“Is it too much to ask for a little empathy?”

“I mean, it’s not like your life is over. It’s just a hero college, to make a hero, one of the most competitive jobs you can find. You weren’t going to make it big.”

“Besides, I’ve been to a college for a while.” Said Fortuna. “Not as cool as people make it out to be. People there are needlessly competitive and annoying. You dodged a bullet.”

Raphael lifted a pile of dirty clothes and shoved them in a bag. He groaned. “This isn’t what it’s about. Well, not just that, being a hero would be cool. Getting an education would allow me to touch the FIE, and a hero school is the quickest way to naturalize. Two birds with one stone.”

“Naturalize? You wanna turn into a plant?” Joked the faun. 

“And what the hell is an FIE?”

“What do you mean ‘what the hell is an FIE’? ‘Fond d’Insertion des Extérieurs(2)’. It’s in the pamphlet they gave us?”

“Oh, that one? Didn’t read it.”

“Me neither.”

“See, this same disregard for paperwork is what makes you two leech of me.” He pulled a few sheets of paper from his bag and threw them on the couch. “It’s written on the third pages. Take a look and maybe this will convince you to do something with your time.”

The two groaned like they’ve heard this kind of comment a few times. “What are you, our mom?”

“Yeah dude, we’re doing things. We’re not as passive as you say.”

“Running scams on the net don’t count, Fortuna.” He went back to the kitchen. “I’m taking the leftovers rice, I’m going to study late. Try not to forget to eat… actually never mind, you’ll probably be right on time.”

Ama stood up, surprised. “Huh? You’re not finished?”

“It’s just one college. There’s a hero university that’s open for late applications. FEAH, it’s a bit less prestigious than St Ange, but it’s still got national recognition.”

“You’re really serious about that ‘reservist hero’ and FIE thing? What’s so good about them?” Fortuna took the sheets of paper and began to read them.

“Yes, I am! See you later.”

“Wait, we still haven’t had you play the new…” Ama was cut by the door slamming. “Pff, what a workaholic. Can’t relax for once.” To her surprise, Fortuna didn’t answer. They were still reading the pamphlet. “Is this such a big deal?”

Fortuna smiled. “Turn out the FIE is free money.”

“What?”

“It read: ‘To facilitate the insertion of outsiders that might have troubles finding their footing in another world, the MSE(3) created the FIE. This program will provide monetary support to outsiders, provided they show a willingness to integrate into the french society, via joining a formation, school or university recognized by the state.’ So if he gets into a college he’ll get money for that.”

“So, like, a professional student? You get paid for doing nothing.”

“Sort of.” They put the sheets on a table and looked at her, smiling. “You know… In hindsight, maybe Raphael was right. We need to do something with our time.”

Ama answered with a sly smile.

(2) translate roughly to “Outsider Integration Grand”

(3) “Minister de la Supervision des Exterieurs.” or in English, Outsider Supervision Ministry.


	2. 1st day of school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello again.
> 
> This is the second chapter. It still happen mostly inside the universe of Freaks Squeele, so I did give a few hints for the origins of some of the main characters. 
> 
> Thanks to my proofreaders Antenix, Judoon, Aankh, Toboshiro, and Avaryss.
> 
> And have a nice read.

##  Scene 1: First morning

Second of September. 

“FEAH-main building, last stop _. _ ” The speaker said in a mechanical tone. Raphael exited the tram. Today was his first day of school. He took care that everything would be perfect. His suit was clean and ironed, his beard was clean cut. He tried to look professional and serious here.

But as prepared as he was, he was in a constant state of worry. He kept looking at his phone, hoping for a call from Ama and Fortuna.

“Will they answer already?!” he whispered. The duo had not come home last night. While it wasn’t unusual for them to go out at night, especially for Ama, they always came back late to wake up Raphael with their drunk rambling. But last night they didn’t come back, and they weren’t here in the morning either. 

_ I can’t believe those jerks. We arrive in this world, they just want to live as rogues and rant when I try to get them to get an official identification here. When they finally get one they just laze around while I get a job to eat! “But no worry, Raph… we make money.” Yeah Fortuna, can you tell me where you make, or rather take, this money? Sure, sure, steal all you want and get us in trouble, will you? It’s not like our existence as outsiders mean we are essentially on permanent probation! _

Raphael went up the stairs leading to the main building, still fuming.  _ Like, fine, if you want to do your things, do it. But I thought you at least trusted me enough to tell me if there’s something wrong. I thought if you did something abnormal you’ll tell me. I told you when I got a job,  _ _ I told you when I went for the entrance exam _ _. _

“Raphael!” someone shouted from the cafeteria.

_ Well, right now I have to focus on my class. I could always search for them after school. I know it’s gross to say that, but I need to forget about them for a while. _

“Raphael, over here!” 

“Who the…” Fortuna was waving at him from a table filled with snacks. In front of him was Amarorama, downing a bottle of… something. Raphael ran to them. “What the hell are you doing here?!” 

“Oh, you know, thinking about our future, that sort of thing.” Fortuna took a bite at a cookie, staring smugly at Raphael.

“Thinking about your…?”

“Yeah. You know, we’ve learned that there was a hero university. We thought ‘Hey, shouldn’t we give back to the community?’ and decided to join one because we’re upstanding citizens.”

“Upstanding citizen? You?”

“Of course Raphael. Ama and I only have the best interest at heart.” They winked as innocently as they could, which wasn’t a lot.

“Okay, out with it Fortuna, it’s about the money, right? The grant.”

“Yeah, okay, fine, we’re mostly here for the grant.” 

Raphael looked at Ama, who just finished her bottle. It was a bottle of vodka. “And what are you doing?”

“Doping.” She simply answered.

“What?”

“Just after the introduction we have a physical test, and I want to be in peak conditions.” She turned to Fortuna. “But I’m still not feeling it. You’re sure those beers weren’t nonalcoholic?”

“Sure and certain.” Fortuna handed her one of the cans. “Here, it’s 7% you’ve definitely drank enough for your power to work.” 

“Well this is weird, I’m really REALLY not feeling it.” She turned back to Raphael. “Anyway, what class are you in?”

“Why would I tell you that? You’ve been pretty secretive about your own business recently?”

“Is it class 5?” Fortuna said without looking at him, too busy putting the remaining snacks into their bag. 

“Why would it matter?” He grumbled.

“Because if you’re in class 5, you’re not gonna find the room in time. We’ve spent the night exploring the campus and we barely understand how it works.”

“ALL NIGHT? Is that even authorized?”

“So what do you say Raph, want our help?”

“FFFFffine! Yes, I’m in class 5.” The two smiled, which prompted Raphael to groan. “BUT! Once we're there, you leave me alone! I’m not gonna babysit you.”

“Bold words from someone who can’t find his class without help.”

##  Scene 2: The class

“Heros are role models for children to follow, and they embody the ideals of the great. Heros are the sign of hopes in our modern society that has plunged into economic depression. Thus are the …” the headmaster spoke to the class.

“You think he’s mad at us?” Amarorama asked about Raphael, who was sitting at the opposite side of the amphitheater. The introduction didn’t seem to interest her much.

“Nah, he was worried about us and didn't know how to handle it.” Fortuna didn’t even look at her, instead staring at the headmaster of the school as he presented the formation.

“I’m pretty sure it’s BECAUSE he was worried that he’s pissed.”

“Yeah, yeah, possible, but there’s not much we can do about it.” They made a dismissive hand movement. “Do you mind, I’m trying to listen.“

The headmaster, a man named Scipio, was a tall man with black hair and very pale skin. He wore a very clean ponytail that, combined with his classy suit, gave him the appearance you would expect from a headmaster: highly professional and competent, clean, and serious. Yet Fortuna felt there was something twisted and devious underneath. It was buried very deep, and it was hard to determine what was giving out the impression. Was it the eyes? Or perhaps the voice? Maybe it was the body language. Whatever it was, Fortuna knew they had to keep out of this man business. 

“... We guarantee you full-time employment after your formations. However, this is a privilege you must earn, and you will need to fight and give your best.” Scipio took his briefcase. “It’s on that note that I’ll leave you in the hand of Mr. Lawrence, your teacher in hero History.” He calmly left the room, as the teacher began to walk with his cane around the class distributing papers.

“Here’s the ranking of the entrances tests. It might help you select your groups.”

One student raised a hand at that comment. “Wouldn’t this promote bullying and stigmatization?” 

“I can see your concern. The academy will provide all support against harassment. It is important to remember this is a competitive school, sooner or later those issues you mention would appear all on their own.”

A tall, muscular and green person groaned, visibly unconvinced by the elitist comment. The teacher didn’t bother to give any further explanation. After he gave everyone one of the sheets, he went back to his desk. 

Fortuna looked at the Classement. Of the thirty students, they were at a respectable sixth place. Raphael was two places above, right under a guy named Orcford. Amarorama was much lower, at 27th place. 

“I guess they didn’t like your power, huh, Ama.”

“Well…” She seemed a bit annoyed. “I couldn’t exactly show them everything.”

“Huh? Why?”

“We only had 3 minutes to explain our powers, remember. And they kept asking details about the pyrokinesis so I couldn’t get on with the rest. And I didn’t do well in the others part of the test.” 

“Shame!” They remembered that she was the only of the three to have no formal education. They went to the university, Raphael had no trouble finding competent tutors due to his parent's jobs, but Amarorama wasn’t in the same case. She told Fortuna that she spent her childhood with other Fauns, and was taught more how to party and brew drinks and make music than things like maths and sciences. 

“Anyway, who do you think is first? This ‘Friedrich Urfo’?”

Fortuna looked around. “Probably that guy in a tacky suit that seems like he’s about to dance.” They pointed at a young man wearing a bright yellow suit and a lot of jewelry on his fingers. He seemed about to jump on the table from excitement. “And before you ask, the second place, Marcila, is the girl with that beefy, scaly arm with large claws. She’s got dragon blood apparently.”

“How do you know?”

“She was just before me at the exams. I asked her when we waited.”

“HUSH!” The teacher cleared his throat loudly. “Now that you all know your ranking, I’ll continue. For the purpose of practical teamwork exercises, you’ll have to form teams of three. Since this afternoon you’ll have your first practice test, so make a trio by 3PM. I’ll let you handle this. See you later.” He left the classroom, clacking his cane on the way.

The whole classroom was in chaos. The lower students rushed toward the higher scores, especially the top 3.

Fortuna stared at the class. He could see Urfo was surrounded by many other students, but he was ignoring them. He marched toward Marcila and the beefy green dude, probably this Orcfod, and asked them to join him. Even without hearing what he said, Fortuna could see he was presenting it as a glorious opportunity or something. This didn’t seem to impress the other two. Marcila just ignored him, and Orcford made a comment that seemed to really irk Urfo. 

“I think we’re gonna lose Raphael if we don’t go ask him. I’m gonna do it.” Ama stood up, but Fortuna grabbed their wrist with surprising strength for their slender frame.

“Wait, as you said, he’s probably still pissed at us. If we go ask him he’ll take it as us seeing him as accessible and easy. If we want him to team up with us it’s gotta come from him.”

Very suddenly Amarorama seemed much angrier, and much more intimidating. The students that were about to approach the two to ask Fortuna to join them stepped back. “What is wrong with you? I’m not playing this mind game of yours, I’m not letting a pal get away for something as dumb as not telling him where we were! I’ll even say sorry if I need to!”

Fortuna wasn’t particularly unsettled by the sudden shift in behavior. They also stood up. From his seat, Raphael saw the two argue with intensity. He was about to go ask them to calm down when an invasive arm put itself on his shoulders.

“How are you doing, Rafale?” Said Urfo. “I’m Urfo, the one that ranked first.”

“Huh?! Ah, yes, I guessed so when the teacher congratulated you. And it’s Raphael.”

“Sorry, sorry. Listen,  _ Rafale _ , I’m gonna make you a proposition. The orc and the dragon girl snubbed me when I offered them to team up. They clearly don’t know what they’re missing. But anyway, I think we should team up to show everyone who’s the best. You, me, and another high ranking students. We’ll be unstoppable!”

“Listen, I’m flattered, and I may get back to you on this, but I need to say something to my fr… roommates.” He pointed at Amarorama and Fortuna that were practically headbutting. 

“What, those two? I can understand the small one, but the faun? She’ll be holding you back. I suppose the other is also wasting his time.”

“Their.”

“Huh?”

“Their time. Nongendered possessive article.”

“Yeah, yeah, my bad. Look, I can team up with the two of you, that way you won’t have to drag a load like her ar…” He didn’t get to finish his sentence. Raphael took one inspiration, turned around, and pushed him back with his palms. Anybody watching a bit below would have noticed Raphael had moved his feet very quickly to throw Urfo out of balance. A slight sparkle remained on his palm for a few fractions of seconds. This wasn’t a massive push, Urfo wasn’t sent flying away, but it was enough to get everyone's attention and have everyone be silent.

“I’ll have to refuse your proposition.” Politely said Raphael, but his eyes seemed to tell something else entirely. 

Urfo stood up, groaned, and glared at Raphael, before walking away toward other students. 

Raphael, now free from an invasive presence, walked to his roommates, who had stopped fighting.

“What did he say?” Asked Fortuna.

“Nothing special just wanted to team up. Anyway, what were the two of you doing? Fighting like that in front of everyone?”

“You’re one to talk, you just shoved him…”

“I had good reasons.” He tapped his fingers on the table.

“You just said it was nothing.”

“I SAID… Whatever! I get that you can’t really keep it civil without me around, so I’ll team up with you because after that stunt I doubt people will want you.”

“Or you?”

“Shut up Ama! So what do you say? Want my coopération?” He extended the palm of his hand, expecting them to shake it.

Without hesitation, Ama slapped her own palm against it. “Hell yeah!”

“Yeah, I’m fine with it.” Fortuna didn’t shake the hand but smiled at him.

##  Scene 3: The test

“When you talked of a test, I was expecting something different, sir.” Orcford asked.

“Like what?”

“An obstacle course, perhaps. Or a few rounds of spare. Something that would allow us to show not just our abilities but how proficient we are using them.”

“You got a problem with the punch machine?” Mr. Lawrence gave a proud slap to a huge machine right next to him. According to his explanation, this machine was here to evaluate the strength of their attacks. It was very easy to use: you hit the red padded part, it gives you a score. The higher, the better. 100 was what a normal human in peak performance would be able to do. “Come on big guy, don’t tell me you’re afraid of a low score? You wouldn’t have a problem.” Mr. Lawrence clapped in his hands. “Anyway, we don’t have all day, I’ve got something planned this evening. So let’s get going. Amarorama, you’re first. You take the baseball bat and hit it as hard as you can. Magic and superpower allowed.”

“Okay!” Ama took the bat and approached the machine with the clacking sounds of her hooves. She took an over-exaggerated batter pose, which evoked more aesthetic than efficacity. She stopped for an instant, eyes up like she was thinking about something. Finally, after a few seconds, she smiled and swung the bat. But when it was halfway through its arc, she whistled. 

First, a small spark appeared right behind the bat and exploded outward into a fireball. Well, maybe a fireball is a big word, it was more flash and sound and smoke than fire. Still, the explosion was enough to propel the bat even faster.

Alas, it didn’t push it in the direction of the swing, and Ama, instead of hitting harder, lost balance. But she was not out yet. She held the bat up and made a full spin with the dexterity of a ballerina, and slammed the bate downward with increased inertia.

“82,” Said the machine.

“Huh? That’s all? Hey, teach, can I retry? I’ll get the explosion right this time.”

“One attempt per person, now let the others do their own. ANDURES! It’s your turn.”

Ama went back to her friends, angrily groaning. “If I was drunk it’ll have worked better.”

“If you were drunk the fire would have burned you. You’re not fireproof, stop casting flames that close to your body.” Fortuna gently patted her shoulder. “But hey, 82 while sober? That’s a good score. And you looked cool with that spin.”

“Thanks. But I really wanted better. This really pissed me off, I feel all weak now. I’m gonna sit on a bench.” She left them. 

As soon as she was out of hearing, Raphael whispered to Fortuna. “Did you just…”

“Yeah, Yeah, I did. She already did her test, so I’m gonna borrow her strength for mine. Don’t worry, I’ll give it back after the test.” They flexed their arms a bit to show more noticeable muscles.

“You can’t just take without asking. At least not to teammates.”

“Oh, come on, I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. She knew about my demonic thievery, she probably expected it. By the way, since this is by alphabetical order, you’re probably gonna pass right before me. Could I borrow yours?”

Raphael stepped back. “Fuck no? I don’t want you to use that stuff on me.”

“Oh, come on! It’s not as invasive as you make it out to be.”

“IT IS!”

“RAPHAEL EOLE! When you’re finished shouting at your team, maybe you could come to do your test?” Groaned Mr. Lawrence.

“We’re not done talking about it!” Raphael waved his finger in front of Fortuna’s face. Then he approached the machine and took the bat. Unlike Ama, his stance was very simple and efficient, although more adapted to wielding a sword than a bat. 

He took a deep and strange inspiration, the air filling his lungs so much that it almost looked like his ribs would break. It sounded like a storm contained in a small room. Then the inspiration stopped abruptly.

“HAMON!” He said as he began to swing the bat. Intense sparks passed through the wood without burning it. 

“OVERDRIVE!” The bat collided with intensity against the machine. The sparks passed through it and surrounded the students, without harming any of them.

“189.” Said the machine. 

“Impressive, Mr. Eole. I guess you can back up your entry score. Now, it’s… Well, it’s your teammate. FORTUNA, come here!”

While passing Raphael, Fortuna made a high five motion that their teammate ignored. 

“No touchy, Fortuna!”

“Come on, I’m not that untrustworthy! I just wanted a high five.” They groaned, seemingly hurt by the insinuations.

Fortuna, unlike the two others, didn’t take any stance, instead of letting the bat hang limply downward. Without much apparent efforts or care, they swung the bat in an upward motion without letting it take momentum.

To everyone’s surprise, even the teacher, this lazy method worked well. Without even looking at the score, it was clear by the sound and vibrations of the machine that the impact was unexpectedly powerful.

“194”

“Very good Fortuna. Look like your team has two heavy hitters.” 

“More like one and a half, sir.” Fortuna said.

“I don’t understand what you mean, and I don’t care. NEXT! GARULFO JR!”

Fortuna went back next to Raphael. “See, thanks to me we got first place.”

“You idiot, I had the first place right before you.”

“Well, maybe, but now we’re doubly sure we’ll get the highest score.” They looked smugly at the score of Garulfo jr, a young blond man in noble clothing. He was four points below Amarorama. 

“Don’t be so sure, there’s still a lot of people to pass.”

“Yes indeed, Rafale! But I’ll have to admit few would do better.” A voice appeared behind them. Urfo was standing there, flanked by his two teammates. One was a short but muscular person, with hairy feet he didn’t cover with shoes. A hobbit, but one that took physical training very seriously. The other was tall and wore used grey clothes, with many pouches. “I need to introduce those two, who unlike you are polite enough to not shove peoples who are making them a proposition. This is William Breakgoats, a hobbit with intensive training in martial arts. He immediately recognized your technique as chi…”

“Hamon!”

“Huh?”

“It’s called Hamon. Chi is from Chinese martial arts, Hamon is slightly different and takes its roots in Tibbets to fight Vampires!”

“Interesting.” Said the hobbit, rubbing his chin. “I thought it looked very similar to some techniques I saw, so I assumed it was the same thing. I’d like to know if the difference goes deeper.”

Urfo tried to get back control of the conversation. “Yeah… huh, not now. This is Mathias Dumarai. He’s an alchemist.”

“Actually, I'm more of an artificer.”

“That’s the same thing, right?.” Urfo glared at Raphael, suddenly beaming with confidence, or perhaps even arrogance. “Those two are the finest of the finest of this promotion.”

Fortuna sneered. “Yeah, I would have expected them to be the 9th and 11th of the finest. No offense, guys.” The two waved their hand to reassure that they weren’t hurt by the comment.

“Perhaps this is their score, but they also can recognize a good opportunity. And they’re no slouch either, they had 123 and 135 respectively. With my score, you’ll see, we’re gonna blow your results.”

“I’m not in competition with you, Friedrich.”

“Yeah, well this isn’t the state of mind you should have in this school. It’s competitive, remember?” On these words, he turned heel and walked away. His teammates waved at Raphael and Fortuna.

“He’s quite full of himself. Is that why you shoved him?” Mentioned Fortuna. 

But Raphael wasn’t listening to them, fixing the machine and the student passing right now. It was Orcford, the tall and muscular orc. He looked slightly out of place with his small round glasses on top of such a body. Wielding the bat like a club, he hit the machine with full strength. The impact was so powerful the heavy engine was pushed back a dozen of centimeters. His score showed the impressive result of 204.

“WOW!” Said Fortuna, impressed. “I doubt Urfo’s gonna get the highest score he wish!”

“The guy is aiming for a Ph.D. in Barbarian heroism, from what I’ve heard, he’s probably been preparing since middle school. No wonder he’s good at hitting hard. ” Raphael said.

“Yeah, I guess. Who are his teammates?”

“Marcila and Antoine Andures.”

“Wasn’t Andures the last place in the entrance test?” Fortuna recalled he saw his name at the bottom of the list, with the exact minimum of points to be allowed entry. He heard some other students mention that he only got those because he had already worked in some pretty unusual place, but he had no power nor special abilities. 

“Yeah. Seems like the two are quite different from Urfo, they saw everyone was avoiding him and wanted to help.”

“How nice of them, pampering him up the ladder.” Fortuna never liked peoples who thought kindness meant pushing peoples way beyond what they could achieve normally. Everyone needed to know their limit, and if you put someone beyond their own, they’ll end up in more danger than if you left them alone.

“I don’t think that’s what is happening. Andures seem very determined to get up there by himself. He seems to have prepared very hard.”

“Yeah, Yeah, whatever, we’ll see. By the way, have you noted Marcila’s Score? I wasn’t watching. I’m curious about how much those two racked up.”

“ I wasn’t either, Urfo was draining all my attention.”

“She made 181.” Said Ama as she approached. “With Orcford score and Andures own 83, they’re above the 360 points.”

The two looked at her with worry. “Are you feeling better?” Asked Raphael.

“Yes. I started getting my strength back after Fortuna’s turn.”

Fortuna looked at Raphael and gave him a knowing wink.

Ama took notice of that, and put her hand on Fortuna’s shoulder. “By the way Fortuna, I hope you had nothing to do with that. Because if you used your weird power on me without telling me I’ll be VERY mad.”

“I don’t see what you’re talking about? Just ask Raph, he knows I’m clean.”

Raphael seemed to hesitate for a second, but he was cut by the voice of Mr. Lawrence. 

“Urfo! You’re last, don’t disappoint!”

Urfo passed right behind the trio, and whispered: “Watch and learn.”

He didn’t even bother to touch the bat. He pointed two fingers up, and suddenly rubbles and dirt began to gather around the bat, turning it into a much bigger stone club. The club then floated by levitation into Friedrich's hand, where it remained as easy to use as the wooden bat thanks to magic.

He made an exaggerated motion, twisting his upper body to follow the movement of the club. But midway, he became all stiff. One of his hands grabbed his stomach, and he fell on his knee. The club continued its way, and ripped against the machine, breaking into a rain of pebbles and dirt that sprayed the students.

“101.” said the machine.

“Damnit! Urfo, you okay kiddo?” Mr. Lawrence approached the student on the ground, who was still gripping his stomach.

“No, I feel like abs are paralyzed and my stomach is twisted. Just give me a minute, I’ll give it another try.”

“Sorry, even if you had missed I’m not allowed to give you a second chance.”

“Sir, I don’t think it’s fair to not give a second chance in case of injuries.”

“Shut up Orcford, we’ve got more urgent matters. You and your team go get the nurse.” He helped Urfo to stand up. “You have any idea what could have caused it?”

“I don’t know. Like, I’m not very athletic, but I have no trouble moving most of the time… Unless.” He fixed his gaze on Raphael. “Unless…YOU!”

“What?”

“You did this?”

“What are you talking about.” Raphael took a step back, visibly shocked by the accusations.

“You shoved me earlier? right?”

“Yeah, Because you were putting your arm where I didn’t want it!” At those words, everyone started at Urfo.

“Don’t make it sound like a pervert thing, asshole! You shoved me and you had your palm on my belly. You used your chi fuckery to damage my abs and stomach. Right? RIGHT?”

“No, I didn’t!”

“YOU DID! YOU SABOTAGED MY ATTEMPT!”

“I DIDN’T!”

“SHUT UP YOU BOTH!” Shouted Mr. Lawrence. “I can see there are some issues, but we’ll settle this with the headmaster. Urfo, you go to the nurse's office, then once you’re better you’ll go to the headmaster's office. Eole, you go wait there, I’ll tell the headmaster to take care of this!”

Orcford, Antoine, and Marcila came soon with a stretcher to bring Urfo to the nurse. Mr. Lawrence grabbed Raphael’s arm firmly and began to pull him toward the main building. “All of the others, go home. We finished everything we needed to do today anyway. Don’t do funny business like those two, or I’ll personally have your head on a pike!” 


	3. The "punishment"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello. I took a bit of time before publishing this chapter, because I was moving out.
> 
> Next one will have a couple of very important character introduced, just to warn. 
> 
> Hope you like it.
> 
> I own none of the show that serve as setting.

###  SCENE 1: The deal

The first thing that surprised Raphael about the headmaster's office was how many models and collectibles were put on display. Almost every shelf had, in front of the books, figurines of fantasy warriors that seemed put here like they were guarding the important files. The only shelves that didn’t have those models were instead full of modeling knives, paints, glue, and unopened boxes.

Headmaster Scipio was no man to hide his hobbies. Or his annoyance. “This hasn’t even been half a day that you already bring up trouble.” He said calmly, but the slight tapping of his fingers on the table betrayed a certain frustration. “What can I hope to do with you two if you start fighting that easily.”

Raphael & Urfo, both sitting next to each other, couldn’t hold the stare of their headmasters. They both looked to the side.

“It wasn’t a fight sir…” Started Raphael, but he was cut by Urfo.

“Yes, It was sabotage. He wanted to see me fail.”

“I didn’t try to make you fail, I tried to get you away from me!” 

“You could just have asked! You get mad for so little?”

“So little? You were insulting my friends, calling them waste of time or load. You should have expected a heated reaction.”

“I’m not gonna… But I… I was just trying to be friendly!” He looked at Scipio, like asking for help.

“Then try something else, you just sounded like an ass.” Raphael was almost barking, showing his tooth in frustration.

Scipio cleared his throat with intensity, getting the attention of the two youngsters. “Now, now, I think I get that the two of you started on a wrong foot, but I see nothing that we cannot handle as adults.”

“But sir, he damaged my abdominals. He’s dangerous, we can’t…”

“There’s no ‘we’ here, Urfo, I’m the one who makes decisions.” He relaxed on his chair. “Besides, I find you rather lacking self-awareness. Sure, Raphael’s reaction was disproportionate, but if you cannot respect your classmate's boundaries, you’re gonna get in much bigger troubles.” He fixed Urfo’s eyes with intensity. “And if I recall your file, that sort of behavior ended up costing your St Ange scholarship.”

Urfo opened his mouth but closed it.

Scipio continued. “Now, at the end of the day, you’re still the victim, so nothing will happen to you, but I expect this will be a lesson for you and that you’ll learn to be more considerate.” He stared at Urfo, who was squirming on his chair like a worm under sunlight. “You may leave, I’ll discuss Raphael’s punishment with him.”

The student didn’t answer. He stood up and left, limping slightly on the way out.

“Tch, not even a ‘good evening sir.’ Youth today are so disrespectful.” He turned toward Raphael. “Now, onto your case. I’m sure you’re aware that what you did was serious, even if involuntary.”

“Yes sir. I won’t do it again.”

“Good, good. But I can’t really gloss it over and ignore that. When you make a mistake, you have to suffer the consequences. And public ones, so the other kids know it can happen to them.”

“I understand. But I really don’t want to stop my studies here.”

“Of course, of course. I’d be a terrible headmaster if I did that. No, I was thinking of a more constructive punishment.” He stood up and walked toward the window. “Something that will benefit the school and teach you discipline and to obey the rules.”

“You’re… you’re going to ask me to clean the campus? I’m quite the tidy man, but I don’t think this is within my abilities.” 

Scipio chuckled. “Of course not. I know some people can go very far by doing nothing but cleaning work, but I don’t think you have the time for this. No, I’m going to give you something a bit more exciting.” 

“Exciting you say?” Raphael leaned forward a bit, curious about that proposition.

“Now, don’t get your hopes up too much, it’s still going to be a punishment. You’re not going to be enjoying your weekends anytime soon, and I still expect you to do your homework properly.” He went back to his desk and pulled a file from a drawer. “A professional hero asked the school to provide him with an assistant for his weekend duties. Normally this wouldn’t have been a problem, but for once, the third years all found an internship early. So I had to tell him to wait.”

“And so you want me to be his part-time intern so you can save face and keep yourself in his good grace?”

“Yes. He’s a very important agent of the Monster Management Company, one of our partners. If possible, I’d like to keep them pleased. So I hope you can avoid incidents like today while under his care. Understood?”

Raphael rubbed his shin. He wasn’t exactly sure this was going to be as simple. A few other outsiders he met warned him that the internship could go wrong very fast. But it didn’t seem like there were other options. “What will I be doing exactly?”

“Since he mostly works as a hero on weekends, you may occasionally get some action, but for the most part, you’re gonna assist him when he does his paperwork and PR. You will probably get him coffee too. “

“I don’t have a choice, right” sighed Raphael.

“I’m not giving you one.” coldly replied Scipio, glaring at him. For a second, his friendly and relaxed demeanor was gone. His face still had the same smile, but it’s like a mask had been pulled, revealing a nastier face beneath.

“I… I’ll do it… sir.” Was all Raphael could say.

  
  


###  SCENE 2: First day of class. 

The next morning, Fortuna and Amarorama entered the classroom, without Raphael. Instantly, all the other students stared at them. Some of them lost interest and went back to their conversations, but others kept glaring at them from across the room. Especially those that sat around Urfo, be them his teammates or some other students. 

“Let’s not get close, they might bite us if we approach.” Joked Fortuna, low enough that only Ama could hear him. “I say we take the seats at the back.” He took the first nearest sit.

“Huh? Don’t you want to listen to the lesson?”

“It’s Public Relationship class, right? I think I can manage with half-assing that?”

“With how your teammate behaved, maybe you should double down on it instead.” A group of three students approached. A person in full plate armor, a guy with a motorcycle helmet, and the “leader”, who wore a pair of goggles. 

Fortuna sneered. “You’re talking a lot from someone who starts an unwanted discussion.”

“You seem rather calm after Raphael literally attacked someone else for no reason.”

“He didn’t! Your precious Urfo was searching for trouble.” Groaned Amarorama, stomping her hooves a bit.

The other student began to lose his composure. “Not my precious Urfo, I just care to not have violent freaks in my class. Like your pal. Or you, if a mere critic got you so worked up!”

“Violent freaks huh?” Fortuna stood up, their face barely at chest level of the goggles guy. “I don't think that description fits us… but if you want I can give you a reason to call us that?” 

“Are you threatening us?” He said, unimpressed.

“You were insulting us!” 

Quickly insults began to fuzz between the students, with newcomers joining gradually, adding their own opinions to the arguments. It was loud and annoying, but nobody wanted to back off in fear of losing ground in the argument.

Eventually, Urfo approached, and the crowd parted to let him pass. Goggles guy turned to look at him. “Oh, Urfo. Listen to this, those guys don’t even think…”

“I don’t need your help!”

“Huh?”

“If I have a problem with someone or some grudge, I can deal with it myself. I don’t need your help with this. In fact, if you make such a commotion on a whim, I don’t WANT your help in anything.” Urfo moved his hands erratically, seemingly very annoyed. 

“Hang hang on, you think it’s just about you?” Goggles chuckled. “ If they’re pal get away with nothing, we’ll get other incidents like that, with some lunatic attacking and bothering everyone.”

“We already have one like that. He’s talking to me.” Urfo got his face closer to Goggles. “I don’t care if you’d rather take the matter in your own hands, I want to handle it myself, so fuck off and let this class happen normally.” He turned to everyone else. “That extends to all of you, get your nose out of my business.”

There were many groans, but everyone went back to their seat. Amarorama approached Urfo and put a hand on his shoulder. “I think I misjudged you, Urfo. Thanks.”

He quickly shoved the hand aside. “I don’t care about what you think. I’m still gonna get back at your pal. But I’m gonna do that by myself, not via a bunch of goons.”

Urfo went back to his seat as well. “What an ass!” Said Ama. “Plus he plays it off like it’s too easy of a punishment. Raph’s not going to have a free weekend for a while, and probably work a few evenings.”

“And he wasn’t even allowed to take part in the first class. All because he needs to meet this ‘pro hero’.” Groaned Fortuna. “What was his name again?”

“It was something like ‘Super Sparkly’ or some shit.”

###  SCENE 3: Supersparks 

Raphael was sitting outside of the Montparnasse train station, waiting for his internship tutor, who was more than 30 minutes late. He was supposed to come to pick Raphael up, but so far nobody came.

“RAPHAEL EOLE!” Someone shouted. A man with a leather coat and aviator sunglasses approached. “You’re Raphael Eole, right? I was sent your photo.” He pulled the school picture of Raphael from his pocket.

“Yes, it’s me. And I supposed you are SuperSparks’ assistant?”

The man chuckled. “Assistant? What would be the point of an internship then? No, I’m SuperSparks, or rather Stan Rendal . The real deal.” He forcefully took Raphael’s hand and shook it with energy. “Sorry for being late, my side job asked me to help with an emergency errand.”

“I don’t mind.” Lied Raphael. 

“Good, it’s important to be cool with schedules, too bad not everyone thinks like that.” He looked at his clock. “Speaking of time, It’s almost noon. I think we should hurry.”

“Ah, yes, lots of work I assume?”

“No, no. I just thought it’ll be cool to take you to a fine dinner so we could discuss what I expect of you in a more relaxing place.” He laughed. “Well, the truth is that I already had a reservation so I just told them I had a +1. Now come along, Raph, a good lunch is waiting.”

Without waiting more he turned around and walked with quick steps toward the parking, and hopped into an expensive sports car. He motioned Raphael to come in and barely waited for the student to put his seatbelt that he drove out of the parking.

Stan seemed like he did everything quickly. He even drove way too fast for Raphael’s taste, going up to 70km even in the streets of Paris, who can have quite dense traffic. He spoke fast too, spewing a flood of questions to Raphael, about what he’d like to eat, what he likes in girls, where he’s from.

“I’m from Italy… but Italy from another world.”

“Oh, you’re an outsider? Category 2 I assume? No offense, but I doubt a category 1 would go to hero school and I can easily spot a category 3 in a crowd.” 

_ Of course, you can spot them in a crowd, you’re not special Stan _ ! thought Raphaël. Outsider Category was a way for the government to know what to expect of peoples that came from another world. Officially, it was just indicative, but everyone knew it was a way to divide the outsiders between the “clean” and the “dirty”. Category 1 were just regular humans, with no special abilities, who stumbled into another world. They received a lot more support than the “Superpowered humans and human passing.” (SHHP) of category 2 and the “Outsider monsters” of Category 3. 

Raphael himself was in category 2 because of a technicality. During his medical exam, the doctor judged that his outstanding lung capacity, a result of years of Hamon practice, was “supernatural” and too above the physical abilities of a normal human. So they put Raphael in the “superpowered human” category. He didn’t really like that, but his attempt to change the category went on deaf ears. 

“Now, don’t get me wrong. I think nothing bad of the outsiders. Just… You know, sometimes you can clearly see they’re not trying their best to join the society they live in.” Seeing the exhausted look from Raphael's face, Stan tried to smooth it down. “But clearly that’s not your case. You joined a hero school. That’s already a sign you’re one of the good ones.”

_ Oh god, can you talk about anything else _ ? Hoped Raphael. But Stan didn’t stop and kept talking about outsiders and what they should do for society until they reached their destination. Raphael was genuinely happy that the restaurant wasn’t that far away. 

This was a typical high-class restaurant, and the instant Raphael entered, he felt out of place. He was surrounded by peoples in clothing more expensive than pretty, who all took a quick judging glance at his cheap suit, before going back to their conversations. 

“We’re table 15, come on!” Said Stan without waiting for him. As soon as Raphael sat, he gave him the menu, almost forcing it in his hands, and was very quick to call the waiter, not letting him the time to really see what he wants.

As the two were eating, Stan decided to start talking business. “Okay, so, I need to give you a little context for why I need you. It’s been a while since I’m searching for an assistant, and St Ange put me on hold telling me they’ll find one. But BAM, right in the middle of the summer vacations, they tell me they removed me from the waiting list. You wanna know the reason?”

“No… I mean, I don’t know the reason, I want to know.”

“Cause my side-job, the Monster Management Company, is apparently not up to their standards, for associating with unrecognized schools, so they said. So that means my main job as a superhero isn’t allowed an assistant. I mean can you believe it? I kept the two separates, and I’m not even a full-time employee at the MMC.”

“Yeah, that’s harsh. But what exactly do you do at the MMC?”

“Not much. Help capture monsters that escape, or discipline the one that doesn’t behave. Pretty boring job, but it pays well.” He took a piece of pork. “Anyway, I had to transfer my request to the FEAH. But it was very late, so I didn’t get anyone. I was expecting to wait, like, a whole year, but then you come around. Congrats kid, you’re a lifesaver.”

“I’m not really, I’m here because I messed up.”

“Yeah, yeah, so I’ve heard. But it’s normal for you heroes to challenge each other. If you want my opinion, you getting some first-hand experience with me will put you far ahead of the others.”

“Right, speaking of experience, what will I have to do?”

“Well, I’ll mostly need someone to help in the more management part of the job. I don’t need help for the fights, but I’ll need you to keep watch on the TV, Radio, and social media for any weird happening, so we can be the first on the scene without fearing some indie heroes to get the glory. I’ll also need you to check on my mails for sponsor requests, to fill some of the administrative paperwork, and to do the co…” His phone rung. He took it and looked at the number. “Sorry, it’s my side-job, there’s a lot of complication now so I gotta take it.”

_ He says it’s a side job, but he seems to take it much more seriously than his hero job. It must really pay well if he cares about it to this extent.  _ Thought Raphael.

“Yes, Hello sir? No, no you don’t bother me. I’m eating with my new intern. Yeah, the FEAH finally found one. Think about giving them a discount next time they need a monster. Yeah, it’s the 1st year, but he looks serious. So that’s why you call? I thought we finished that just this morning. The client says there’s a leak? I can’t just… Okay, fine, I’ll help fix it. Yes, I’m coming right away.” He turned to Raphael. “ I’m gonna pay for you, and I’ll let you finish this, I need to go help my boss. I’ll see you Saturday morning. Just go to my office.” He handed the student a visit card, with a human silhouette surrounded by many electric arcs.

Once he was gone, Raphael finished his lunch alone. “He never stops talking, that’s annoying.”

  
  



End file.
